The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) will lead a delegation of nineteen South African companies on a trade and investment mission to Kenya and Tanzania. The dti hopes to to deepen bilateral trade and investment relations between South Africa and Kenya, and between South Africa and Tanzania as important economies within their respective regions.

According to Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies, the mission to Kenya and Tanzania will serve as a build-up on the success of a previous mission which the dti led to the two East African countries in 2017. Kenya and Tanzania remain strategic and important trading partners for South Africa, he says.

“The mission will further serve as continuous economic engagement efforts by South Africa to ensure increased levels of bilateral trade and investment between South Africa and these two East African countries. In 2017, the mission outlined the vast opportunities that are available for South African companies in both markets, including the presence of South African goods and services in these high growths East African markets,” Minister Davies says.

He says expanding trade and investment relations between South Africa and Kenya is particularly important, with South Africa being the regional hub in Southern Africa and Kenya the regional hub in East Africa. “The trade relations with Tanzania are equally important and beneficial. Tanzania is strategically located, with it ports serving as an entry point to the East African Community. This strategic advantage is therefore useful for South African companies seeking to penetrate the landlocked markets of Rwanda, Burundi, DRC and Uganda which are dependent on Tanzania’s port resources,” he adds.

The sectors targeted for the mission are agriculture and agro-processing, chemicals, plastic and pharmaceuticals, infrastructure, including roads, rail, bridges and ports, built environment professional services, electro-technical, steel fabrication, steel tubing, mining and capital equipment.